'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
New York Yankees captain Aaron Judge was unanimously crowned the 2024 AL MVP, beating fellow finalists Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr., who was runner-up, and teammate Juan Soto.
All three had incredible seasons, but Judge was way apart when it came to power, as he led the majors in homers (58), RBIs (144), on-base percentage, slugging percentage, OPS (1.159), walks (133), times on base (322) and position player fWAR (11.2).
During the MVP announcement, Aaron Judge. who was with his wife Samantha, was asked by MLB Network's Tom Verducci about his fellow AL MVP finalists.
"Yeah. First, I just want to give a quick shoutout to Bobby Witt and my buddy Juan for the incredible seasons they had," Judge said (1:20 onwards). "It was just amazing to watch. I got to see Juan up close and personal all season long, and man, he's the best in the game for a reason.
Trending
"The same with Bobby Witt—seeing him over the past couple of years continue to develop and get better. It's going to be fun to watch those two for years to come."
It was Aaron Judge's second AL MVP award, after winning it in 2022, the same year he broke the AL record for most home runs in a season.
Bobby Witt Jr. and Juan Soto had career years behind Aaron Judge
In the lead-up to MVP announcement, a strong case was starting to get weight around for Bobby Witt Jr., who earned his first All-Star selection apart from having a 30-30 season (32 homers and 31 steals). He led the American League with .332 average, winning the AL batting title.
Aaron Judge's teammate Juan Soto had the right year ahead of his highly anticipated free agency. Hitting ahead of Judge, Soto slashed .288/.419/.569 with 41 homers. This kind of performance should set him for big bucks, and Judge told MLB Network about wanting Soto's return to the pinstripes.
While Juan Soto and Witt Jr. are emerging stars, Judge's power numbers swayed the voters in his favor. Now with the season over, all three can reflect back on an incredible season before returning next year.
